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This module enables students to explore approaches to pastoral ministry and spiritual direction within the Christian tradition. It presents them with different models of pastoral care and encourages them to reflect theologically on these models, placing them in their historical context. Students will explore issues of particular concern for pastoral ministry in the contemporary context and engage with non-theological disciplines that provide pastoral care. Students will be introduced to different approaches to spiritual direction within the Christian tradition. They will consider… Read more

This gathering will offer participants the chance to explore the opportunities and challenges for leaders entering and braving the co-listening space. The day will be led by Dr Micha Jazz. He describes himself as a mystagogue and has established St Cuthbert’s Oratory as a space for prayer, retreat and encounter with God. An experienced mediator and coach, he recently launched with a colleague Bowring & Jazz, an e-learning business, placing years of practical workplace skills training online. He writes and… Read more

This module will give students the tools required to analyse modern English fiction and poetry in their relations to Christian Spirituality. It will encourage the skilful use of primary and secondary material in order to assess the spiritual character of the works of individual writers. Students will be enabled to demonstrate the relationship between Christian Spirituality and English literature. Those not on the MA programme are very welcome to book on this module as an auditor. Contact Rosemary Nicklen for all booking… Read more

‘I mean, I know and have seen what I was obscurely looking for. I don’t know what else remains but I have now seen and have pierced through the surface and have got beyond the shadow and the disguise’. The Trappist monk, author, peace activist and social critic Thomas Merton (1915-1968) remains one of the most influential and inspiring spiritual guides for contemporary religious seekers. His work reflects a living encounter between the traditions of Christian wisdom and the burning… Read more

Since 2003 the village of Cookham, beloved inspiration of 20th century painter Stanley Spencer, has mounted an outdoor installation of the Stations of the Cross. Each station is unique and makes everyday village locations places of encounter with Christ’s passion. The day will take place in Cookham, Berkshire. We will gather for tea/coffee and introductions at a community-owned pub in Cookham Dean, before walking the Stations together led by Reverend Nick Plant (associate vicar of Cookham). You are asked to… Read more

During these three days we will accompany Jesus alongside his friends as they accompany him to the cross. Where do we find ourselves on this journey? We will enter into the experience through Bible study and art, music and poetry. Each Day will open with prayer and Bible Study at 10am (day participants arrive from 9.30am). There will be reflections at 12pm and 2pm. Tea will be available from 3.30pm and we will end with a short reflection at 4pm.… Read more

This module will encourage students to evaluate Western Medieval schools of Spirituality. It will examine the role of women in this period and evaluate their contribution to the Mysticism and politics of the period. Students will be encouraged to assess the impact of the Crusades on the ongoing relationship of Islam and Christianity. The module will highlight the legacy of this period to the Churches in our day. Those not on the MA programme are very welcome to book on… Read more

David Tracy is perhaps the most eminent Roman Catholic, as well as North American, theologian of his generation. He comes to Sarum College to deliver a rare UK lecture. Sunday 13 May 2018, 5pm to 6.30pm Students of theology may know his Blessed Rage for Order (1975) and The Analogical Imagination (1980), as well as his attractive and enduringly timely essay on the character of intellectual conversation, Plurality and Ambiguity (1986). Tracy’s writings of the last twenty-five years have “turned”… Read more

Following the success of a day conference in May 2017 (entitled Interrelations: Spirituality and Theology), the Sarum Centre for Contemporary Spirituality is pleased to announce a second day conference in this series on Monday 14 May 2018. We are also delighted to be welcoming leading US theologian of his generation, Professor David Tracy from the University of Chicago, for a Public Lecture on the preceding Sunday evening. Professor Tracy will also be participating in the Monday conference. Conference Theme –… Read more

Many people know of St Francis, The Little Poor Man of Assisi. He gave up wealth and ambition to live the gospel in a joyfully radical way, and was both peacemaker and peace-giver, and who called every creature, no matter how small, by the name of brother or sister. Far fewer know of his friend, Clare, who, inspired by Francis’s preaching, escaped from her aristocratic family to follow the same path. She long outlived Francis and over the years became the faithful… Read more

This module enables students to gain a critical understanding of current invocations and retrievals of Celtic Spirituality. Students will be able to engage with notions of the development of spiritual traditions and the political impact of those developments. The Celtic insights into sacred space, nature, time, place, grace and eschatology will be investigated in order to enable students to have a clear understanding of the differences between Celtic and Anglo-Saxon traditions. Those not on the MA programme are very welcome… Read more

Spiritual direction conversations can be vital when exploring a sense of vocation, whether to a formally recognised ministry, or to a deeper expression of gifts and energies in response to God’s call. Many people seek guidance when looking for change or a fresh challenge and those in a formal discernment process are often required to be in spiritual direction. Spiritual directors and others who accompany on a vocational journey may find themselves engaged with issues of hearing and responding to… Read more

Recent decades have seen a growth in meditative, contemplative and mindfulness practices, in and across different faith traditions and more secular contexts. For example, Zen has attracted practitioners from beyond Buddhism; Thomas Merton has inspired engagement with contemplation; Mindfulness practice has become a recognised aspect of contemporary healthcare; the World Community of Christian Meditation has connected many with the work of John Main and Lawrence Freeman. This conference draws together practitioners from across traditions, including those rooted in different faiths… Read more

This module will enable students to critically evaluate relationships between Christian Spirituality and non-Christian spiritualities. Students will be introduced to the important role that Platonic and other philosophical traditions within antiquity played in shaping Christian Spirituality and explore ways in which non-Christian traditions continue to re-shape and challenge classical notions of Christian Spirituality in three contemporary settings. Students will also examine the subjective turn and the challenge presented by New Age and other contrasting spiritualities. The module will also allow students… Read more

Elizabeth Frink’s Walking Madonna is sited on the Green of Salisbury Cathedral, facing the city she invites us to take time with her as a representative of those who are out-lookers. The morning begins with the day’s introduction and an opening prayer. The first session offers a brief description of the sculptor and her sculpture with the invitation to reflect on one’s personal images of the Madonna as Mary, the mother of Jesus. Through metaphor and imagery we explore the… Read more

An extended time of prayer and inner silence within a busy environment, undertaken with the support and guidance of an experienced retreat facilitator. During the retreat there will be the opportunity to meet three times with the facilitator to reflect on your experience. The rest of the time is yours to reflect and meditate. This retreat is particularly suitable for individuals who are new to the idea of an individually guided retreat and wish to seek a personal sense of quiet in a noisy world. Tailor made individual… Read more

Sarum College invites you to the 2018 Summer School, to meet with others in an ecumenical space for reflection and imaginative thinking, and to discover living wisdom through dialogue with each other. Each of the working days of the conference will include high quality input designed to stimulate the reflective dialogue that will take place in groups and in informal conversation; and opportunities for participants to raise issues and share resources connected with the conference themes. Conference Themes Deepening reflection:… Read more

This module will introduce students to the nature of Spirituality in the Christian tradition until the end of the eighteenth century. It will look at a number of spiritual traditions within Christianity and enable students to place them in their historical and philosophical contexts. Students will become aware of the problems we face in matters of interpretation when dealing with classical spiritual texts and will be encouraged to apply a range of interpretative methods to the texts they are introduced… Read more

Pilgrimage has been growing in popularity in recent times, becoming something of a global industry. There is interest in the classic pilgrimage routes and destinations, such as Santiago de Compostela in Spain, or Lourdes in France; and in more local pilgrimages, with cathedrals, for example, aiming to ‘turn visitors into pilgrims’ and seeing increased visitor numbers. Books, films and blogs illustrate how people go on pilgrimage for a diversity of reasons. Pilgrimage is therefore a subject of interest to historians,… Read more

See Spencer’s extraordinary visionary murals that memorialise the lives and the dead of World War One. The day includes a private group viewing of the chapel, accompanied by introductions to Spencer and the paintings. Then, after time for enjoying the gardens around the chapel and having a picnic lunch you will be led in a short service in the chapel on the theme of remembrance. Contact Alison Ogden for all booking enquiries aogden@sarum.ac.uk | 01722 424826 | 01722 424800 (main… Read more

Join Alison Webster for a creative day reflecting on women’s faith and sexuality. The day will explore the reality of our experiences of gender and sexuality in our contemporary social context; our interactions, positive and negative, with the faith traditions that grew us, or that we have encountered later in life; creative ways forward in finding out for ourselves how we see God and what that means for ourselves and for our relationships, in all their variety and diversity. Contact… Read more

This module introduces the key philosophical and psychological issues of the last 100 years that have shaped contemporary understandings of Spirituality. Students will be encouraged to examine contemporary concepts of ‘experience’ and ‘self’ in the light of some seminal thinkers of the twentieth century, whose works can be directly related to issues of religious subjectivity. Students will also be enabled to assess the impact of the work of Carl Jung on Christian thought and practice, including in pastoral care and… Read more

An introduction to the nature of Spirituality in the Christian tradition from the nineteenth century to the present day. Students will investigate the proliferation of Christian spiritualities in this period and consider the impact of modernism, postmodernity, feminism and political theology on contemporary conceptions of Christian Spirituality. Students will also investigate the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of academic responses to Christian Spirituality (in relation to literature, psychology, film etc), and the extent to which they extend the taxonomy of the discipline.… Read more

In a so called ‘secular age’ has religion and more specifically Christian faith and belief simply disappeared from public view altogether? Do modern people no longer require the ‘sacred canopy’ of religion to feel at home in the world? Has the idea and practice of religion become so tarnished with notions of religious fundamentalism and extremism or institutional irrelevance and corruption that by and large, in Europe at least, most people leave it to a small minority of others to… Read more

This module explores the riches of Western Christian mystical tradition. The course begins by looking at the foundations of the tradition and moves on to consider the English Mystics, the Rhineland Mystics and the Spanish Mystics. Students will gain an overview of the historical development of the Western Christian Mystical tradition, and identify and analyse key historical figures and movements within that tradition. Those not on the MA programme are very welcome to book on this module as an auditor. Contact… Read more

This module will enable students to understand the relationship between Christian Spirituality and art. This relationship is explored from historical, cultural and theological perspectives, and students will be encouraged to develop their own aesthetic and spiritual awareness. The module also encourages students to appreciate the place of art in Christian worship and in the life of the Church. Those not on the MA programme are very welcome to book on this module as an auditor. Contact Rosemary Nicklen for all booking enquiries… Read more

This module considers the phenomenon of mass culture as that which approximates to the actual ‘lived culture’ of millions of people today. The module will explore and discuss topics such as changing patterns of leisure and travel in today’s world as well as technological and media mediated culture which forms the backdrop to spirituality and ‘doing’ theology in our age. In this respect modern mass culture frequently mimics religious modes of orchestrating emotion and creating identity while at the same… Read more

This module engages with the relationship between spirituality and liturgy. Attention will be paid to the ways in which they relate, both conceptually and with reference to debates, such as the historic conflict between liturgy and popular piety. Students will have the opportunity to study specific examples of liturgical practice from a variety of Christian traditions, and in so doing develop their ability to interpret liturgical prayer as a form of spirituality. Those not on the MA programme are very… Read more